Warbird Information Exchange

Maybe she was bought by Scott Glover? I wonder if the new owner will keep her in the same markings.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

The markings and paint scheme are being changed to some extent as we speak. Part will remain polished. Nose art will be different. Will post a picture when available. JR

It was a dark and gloomy day... well, ok, sunny and hot day....Here is the Prowler getting ready for the delivery flight to Mt Pleasant in the eastern part of the Republic. No, not N. Carolina. Texas, for those geographically challenged. JR

Reception committee in Mt Pleasant for the Prowler. Looks like she has a great new home. She will get a lot of TLC and be out to airshows again soon. JR

Ray, our metal magician, is working on the escape hatch for the gunner's canopy. He just finished the frame and Denis primed it this afternoon. Lookin good! Should get it about ready for new glass tomorrow. Speakin of tomorrow.... David A is going to fire up the new grill and fix some ribs while others are bringing the fixins to help celebrate the holiday. Going to be hot tomorrow afternoon so there will be a generous supply of coke or root beer floats as well. Come on by and have a look at our progress on the A26. JR

The round area on top of the gunner's hatch is where the original WWII airplane had a periscope mount for the gunsight. The top and bottom turrets were operated by one gunner using what looked kinda like a submarine periscope to sight in the target and remotely operate the turrets and guns. Sounds like an excellent way to get vertigo, but guess it worked. Have not found much written about just how effective they were or not. Most of the A26 fleet hit the European theatre very late in WWII so the gunners may not have had as much exposure as some of the other bombers to Luftwaffe intercepts and there seems to be a lack of anecdotal evidence. If somebody knows of some sources, sure would appreciate a posting. This cap over the periscope hole was all dented in and grubby looking. Ray made a wooden plate and managed to dolly most of the dents out. Looks almost like new now. But that's how Ray does things. Very nice to have someone with his metal experience helping so much. Many thanks! JR

JR's son, T, has been promoted to 3rd Assistant Wiper on the ground crew. We have a lot of hydraulic work to do in the main system in the fuselage. The landing gear and brakes end of the hydraulics are all proven out. Need to get the rest of the system checked out and swing the gear using the internal pump and accumulator. JR

..............so the gunners may not have had as much exposure as some of the other bombers to Luftwaffe intercepts and there seems to be a lack of anecdotal evidence. If somebody knows of some sources, sure would appreciate a posting...............
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Jim,
Back at England AFB in 66, while training on the 26 for deployment to NKP, I remember having a discussion with some of the "old salts" who were familiar with the original periscope system on the 26. If I remember correctly, they said the periscope protruded out the top and bottom of the aircraft, and that there was a mirror in the periscope that would "flip" from the top to the bottom periscope when the attacking aircraft would move from the top to bottom location, or visa versa. From what I heard, it was, at best, a very confusing system to get acclimated to, if they ever did.

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Randy Ryman
Project Big Eagle
NKP Thailand 1966
http://www.coastcomp.com/av/florence/florandy.htm

Could the pending sale of Pacific Prowler have kept her from going to Topeka?

Phil, no I flew the airplane to Cleburne on Thurs before Topeka started with the intention of gassing up and heading that way. Unfortunately, we discovered there were several gremlins along the way and had to return to Meacham. There was no discussion of a sale until last weekend. In fact, I was reseaching possible A-26's for sale for the new owner when he said he had a tentative deal on the B-25 and to stop on the A-26's for now. He wants to give the B-25 some TLC before jumping off into another project. Sorry you didn't get the chance to ride. We were all disappointed about not making it to Topeka. Then looking at the empty spot at the front of our hangar today, just was really a bummer. Sure miss the ol gal. It is like losing an old friend suddenly. Know what I mean? But we have to focus on getting K ready to go to take her place. JR

Guess who made the cover of Rolling Stone? Ok, so not exactly the Rolling Stone, but we did make the restoration news section of the latest Warbird Digest. Check out the article!! Got some pics of when K was crash landed in Macon, GA.
JR

This battery came out of our start cart. There are four of these big hummers in the electric truck and we can use it to start the airplane or drive tools around to the ramp. Well, some of our neighbors borrowed it and apparently there was this big bang when they stepped on the pedal. This battery blew a section right out of the top. It may have been a little too dry in all of this heat and an internal short or something ignited the hydrogen gas that normally is vented. I know how it feels. I am too hot, too dry and too ready for a nap. More good stuff tomorrow!! JR

Chow time is always fun on Saturday's for the team, but this one was especially great. Bernd Schnerzinger, master chef and founder of the famous Edelweiss Restaurant, a Ft Worth tradition since 1967, prepared ribs and red cabbage for the guys. Potato salad and beans topped off the entrees. Bernd shared with the team about how he was born in the Ruhr Valley in Germany in 1941 and can remember his mother taking him to the bomb shelter during the many attacks on this industrial area. He said the walls of the shelter were 6 ft thick concrete but they would still shudder, dust would swirl and the lights would sway. He fondly remembers the first GI's who came thru his village and gave him candy and chewing gum. As a 5 yr old, it was hard for him to understand just what the war was about, but he made his way to the US as a young man and started his business and made many friends here with his good food and great style. Thanks Bernd!! We appreciate your efforts to help us out. And thanks go to David A for making the arrangements! JR

Work continues on the elevator in prepping it to be hung on the stabilizer soon. The trim tab was mounted and the gap seal installed. David B, Tim and Bryan are taking care of the details. The trunnions that hold the attach bolts were apparently installed during the original manufacture process and then drilled out so there is only one way that the trunnions go. Anything else binds up the bolts. Not knowing this, the trunnion positions were not marked during the removal so it has been a lot of trial and error to find the right spots. Thankfully, the code was broken and now all is well. Meanwhile, the doghouse is getting a lot of attention in preparation for new paint and the hatch cover is nearing completion so that the glass can be installed. We would like to have this done in time to be outside for the VFM Hangar dance on 5 Oct and the AOPA Summit display the following weekend. JR

Speaking of the doghouse or more appropriately, the rear gunner's compartment, as Jaime is prepping the area for a coat of new gray paint, it is remarkable just how little room there is back there. Imagine a periscope in the middle of it with a small bicycle style seat and just barely enough room to spin around 360 degrees. By the VN era, this area was converted to mainly recon camera controls and a space for the camera operator. There were a few experiments with early night vision scopes to have a crew member lean out of the compartment with the bomb bay doors open while cruising over the HCM Trail in Laos at night and try out the new technology. High humidity and jungle triple canopy hindered most of the attempts so it was not very effective. We hope to put two seats back there for our crew, but they better be non claustrophobic and hope ventilation is good.... especially after working all day at a hot airshow. JR